Book Review #8: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

As an avid reader I feel like I should probably read and re-read the classics. It seems that I either love or hate the books.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book at all. Having recently read Life of Pi, I can’t help but to compare the books. I would highly recommend NOT reading this book if you have previously read and enjoyed Life of Pi.

Nothing much happens. The story is briefly summarised in the first 10-20% of the book. Then all of a sudden you are presented with Robinson Crusoe’s journal, then he retells the story all over again in a little more detail.

This is is mostly about Robinson Crusoe being stuck on an island for over 25years. But he was lucky enough to have been shipwrecked close enough on land so that he recovered most of the items onboard. From there on he managed to survive and live a solitary life with the bare necessities in life.

Eventually he meets with cannibals on the island. He rescues a person who is about to be eaten. The person he rescues gets named Friday. Friday willingly offers himself as a manservant who owes his life to his saviour. Together they live on and plan to grow a colony of people by rescuing other victims of the cannibals.

Overall I found this book rather boring. I’m very disappointed after reading this book. I felt nothing from this book. No insight, no tears, no feeling sorry for the poor soul, no wish to save him.

I hate to end on a bad note without something positive to say. So my positive thought is that even an atheist can be ‘converted’ into religion, through their darkest hours.